Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

Heads up, physicians: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued its first update to the 2004 Medicare physician fee schedule database. In a Feb. 20 program transmittal (change request 3128), CMS lists affected CPT and HCPCS codes and associated changes.
 
In other recent program transmittals, CMS:

updates home health payment policies (CR 3085);
supplies instructions to durable medical equipment regional carriers on processing national drug code numbers (CR 3141); 
clarifies Medicare secondary payer issues connected with psychiatric claims (CR 2955).
 
To see the transmittals, go to www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/transmittals/comm_date_dsc.asp.